Electric clock movement



Nov. 7, 1933. E. BUTTICAZ 1,933,842

ELECTRIC CLOCK MOVEMENT Filed March 29. 1930 INVENTOR [1/65 E BUTT/C42 BY A TTORNE m Patented Nov. 7, 1933 PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC CLOCK MOVEMENT Eugene Butticaz, Corcelles, Switzerland, assignor to Morris Bikofl, New York, N. Y.

Application March 29, 1930, Serial No. 439,999, and in Germany August 31, 1929 Claims. (Cl. 5828) The present invention relates to clock movements, and more particularly it pertains to clock movements of the electric type, and wherein an intermittently operated electro-magnet provides 5 the power for driving a suitable clock train which in turn drives the hands .of the clock.

An electric clock movement of this general type is illustrated in United States Patent No. 1,585,079 of May 18, 1926, and it is to improvements of this general type of clock mechanism that the present invention is directed.

It is an object of the present invention to pro' vide an improved and novel drive mechanism for clocks of the aiore-mentioned character.

Clocks of this type are especially adapted for use in connection with automobiles, boats, airships and the like, and being generally mounted upon the instrument board of such vehicles, are not readily accessible, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an electric clock mechanism which is of rugged construction and which will require but a minimum amount of attention particularly as regards-the lubrication thereof.

With the above and other objects in view, reference is had to the accompanying drawing, in Which- Figure 1 is a View in elevation with certain of the parts broken away of an electric clock mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the several parts in a slightly different position from that shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a detail sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the reference character A designates the clock train which may be of any approved type. The train A drives the arbor B upon which the hands may be carried in the usual manner.

The driving mechanism of the clock train A consists of a pawl 10 carried by an armature 11, pivotally mounted as at 12 in the frame of the clock movement. The pawl 10 engages a ratchet toothed gear 14 which forms a part of the train A, and a suitable holding pawl 15 also engages said gear 14 to prevent movement thereof in a clockwise direction in the drawing as the pawl 10 rides thereover during its idle stroke.

The armature 11 is operated in one direction about its pivotal point by electro-magnets 16 which may be in circuit with any suitable source of electric current supply, thecircuit of said magnets being designated 17. In its other direction of movement, the armature 11 is operated by means or" a spring 18 connected to the armature at one of its ends as at 19, the opposite end of the spring being anchored as at 29.

The electro-magnets 16 are adapted to be intermittently energized and de-energized bymeans of an electric switch 21 interposed in the circuit 17 thereof. This switch 21 preferably comprises a pivoted member 22 adapted to make and break contactiwith a stationary contact 2% 5 made of spring metal which is adapted to be flexed slightly when engaged by the member 22, as will be noted by a comparison of the positions of said contact in Figures 1 and 2. The pivoted switch member 22 lies in a yoke 23 carried by the spring 18 and when in the position shown in Figure 2 there is a slight space between the elements of said yoke and said member 22, thereby affording a small relative movement between said parts, for a purpose which will presentlyappear.

By the afore-mentioned construction, it will be obvious that as the armature 11 is attracted by energization of the magnets 16 as in Figure 1, the pivoted member 22 of the switch will be moved away from the stationary contact 24 so thereof and the circuit 17 will be broken to deenergize the magnets 16. During the attraction of the armature there is a certain time interval, due to the taking up of the slight play between the member 22 and the upper element of the yoke 2S and the flexing oi the contact 24 to its position shown in Figure 1, when said member and contact remain in engagement and thus maintain closed the circuit of the magnets 16. This time interval is sufiicient to allow the armature to be fully attracted and latched, whereupon said member 22 and contact 2% will separate and the former will rest upon the lower element of the yoke 23, as shown in Figure 1. Upon de-energization of the magnets 16, the spring 18 acts to move the armature to the position in which it is shown in Figure 2, which movement operates the pivoted member 22 of the switch, after the play between said member and the upper element of the yoke 23 has been taken up, thereby moving said mem- 10h ber into engagement with the stationary contact 24, closing the circuit 17 and re-energizing the magnets 16 and again attracting the armature 11. Operation of the armature as above described operates the pawl 10 to cause it to drive the ratchet gear 1 1 of the clock train.

To determine the rate of movement of the clock train a suitable mechanism in the nature of a pawl and ratchet drive is provided and in the present embodiment of the invention this mechanism operates to control the operation of the armature 11 under the influence of the spring 18 as will now be described.

The drive mechanism includes a balance wheel 30 mounted for oscillation about a shaft or stall 31. The oscillating movement of this balance wheel 30 in the anti-clockwise direction is controlled by the usual hair spring 32 connected at one of its ends to the shaft or staff 31 and having its opposite end anchored as at 33, and the movement of said wheel in a clockwise direction is under the combined control of said spring 32 and a rigid arm 34 secured at 35 to the armature and projecting upwardly therefrom. The initial impetus to the wheel 30 in the clockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow in Figure l, is given by said spring just prior to the retraction of the armature 11 so as to enable the pin 3 carried by the hub portion of the balance wheel to pass above the beveled end 36 of said arm 34. Then, as the armature retracts said beveled end 36 strikes the pin 37 and imparts an additional impulse to said wheel 30 so as to wind up the spring 32 and thereby prepare it to again drive the balance wheel in its anti-clockwise direction. In Figure 2 the parts are in the position assumed just after the pin 37 has been struck by the arm 34 and while the wheel 30 is still moving in its clockwise direction, but practically at the end of such movement. The armature 11 is now fully retracted and engages a stop pin 38, at which time the switch 22 closes the circuit through the contact 24 to re-energize the magnets 16. The armature 11 is again attracted, moving its arm 34 downwardly out of the path of the pin 37 which is now moving in anti-clockwise direction.

As the armature reaches its fully attracted position, it is momentarily retained therein, as shown in Figure 1, by a suitable latching device, since were it not for some such device, the armature would immediately return to the position in which it is shown in Figure 2, because of the fact that movement of the armature by energization of the magnets 16 opens the circuit 17 at the switch.

The herein illustrated armature latching means, which constitutes a part of the drive mechanism, comprises a pivoted lever 40 mounted at 41 and normally maintained in engagement with a stop in the form of a pin 42 by means of a spring 43. The lower end of the lever 40 is provided with a bearing blocl: 44 preferably in the form of a jewel and this bearing block is adapted to overlie a resilient member 45 carried upon the outer end of the armature 11 each time the armature is attracted by the magnets 16 as illustrated in Figure 1. The opposite end of the lever 40 is provided with a resilient impact member 46 which flexes as it is engaged by the pin 37 during the anti-clockwise movement of the latter last referred to above, thereby permitting said pin to pass beyond said member, the stop 42 preventing movement of the lever 40 at this time. However, as the pin starts its return movement in the clockwise direction, it strikes the member 46, as shown in Figure 1, whereupon the lever 40 is rocked about its pivot to move the bearing block 44 out of engagement with the member 45, with the result that the armature 11 is free to retract under the influence of the spring 18. Rocking of the lever 40 allows the pin 37 to pass the member 46 and it is at this time that the arm 34 strikes said pin to give it an additional impulse in the clockwise direction, as previously described. Thus, the cycle of operation is completed and each repetition thereof causes the gear 10 to be stepped and the clock train operated.

What is claimed is:

1. In an electric clock, an electromagnetic device having an armature, means to energize and de-energize said device, a balance wheel controlled by said armature, a latching lever operable to temporarily hold said armature in its attracted position and released from its latching position by a movement of said wheel in one direction, and means independent of said latching lever to impart an impulse to said wheel in id direction upon release of said armature.

2. In an electric clock, an electromagnetic device having an armature, means to energize and tie-energize said device, a balance wheel controlled by said armature, a latching lever operable to temporarily hold said armature in its attracted position and released from its latching position by a movement of said whepl in a clockwise direction, and means independent of said latching lever actuated by said armature following the release thereof to impart an impulse to said wheel in said direction.

3. In an electric clock, an electromagnetic device having an armature, means to energize and de-energize said device, a balance wheel controlled by said armature and having a pin thereon, a latching lever operable to engage and temporarily hold said armature in its attracted position and released from its latching position by contact of said pin therewith during the movement of said wheel in one direction, and an arm carried by said armature and operated upon release of the latter to strike said pin and thereby impart an impulse to said wheel in said direction.

4. In an electric clock, the combination of an electro-magnet, an armature therefor, means for energizing and de-energizing said electro-magnet, a balance wheel, means for temporarily holding said armature against movement when the magnet is de-energized, means operated by the movement of said balance wheel in one direction to release said armature holding means, and means carried by said armature and engageable with a part of said wheel for imparting an impulse thereto in said direction after said armature holding means is released.

5. In an electric clock, the combination of an 1 against movement when the magnet is de-energized, means operated by a movement of balance wheel to release said lever before magnet is energized, and an arm fixed on armature and engageable with a part of said said said said balance wheel to impart an impulse to the latter during such movement thereof.

EUGENE BUTTICAZ. 

